CN111630329A

CN111630329A - System and method for low pressure condenser inlet baffle

Info

Publication number: CN111630329A
Application number: CN201880065878.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 薛芳; 苏秀平; 布莱森·李·沙弗尔; 杰布·威廉·施雷柏; 梅露; 王生龙
Original assignee: Bu LaisenLiShafuer; Jie BuWeilianShileibai; Johnson Controls Technology Co
Current assignee: Bu LaisenLiShafuer; Jie BuWeilianShileibai; Johnson Controls Technology Co
Priority date: 2017-10-10
Filing date: 2018-10-10
Publication date: 2020-09-04
Anticipated expiration: 2038-10-10
Also published as: WO2019075096A1; CN111630329B

Abstract

A condenser is disclosed including a refrigerant inlet having an inlet line traversing from an exterior of the shell to the interior space. The inlet line includes an inlet line inner diameter. Additionally, the refrigerant inlet includes a flare that tapers outwardly from the inlet line and into the interior space of the shell. The condenser also includes a refrigerant inlet baffle configured to distribute low pressure refrigerant gas along a portion of an interior length of a shell of the condenser. The upper surface of the refrigerant inlet baffle is vertically spaced from the bottom edge of the bell mouth by an upper layout height. Additionally, a bottom surface of the refrigerant inlet baffle is vertically spaced from a bottom interior surface of the housing by a lower layout height. The upper layout height is greater than 0.25 of the inner diameter of the inlet pipeline.

Description

System and method for low pressure condenser inlet baffle

Background

The present disclosure relates generally to heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC & R) systems, and more particularly to systems and methods for condenser construction and inlet baffle placement in HVAC & R systems.

Vapor compression systems utilize a working fluid, commonly referred to as a refrigerant, that changes phase between vapor, liquid, and combinations thereof in response to being subjected to different temperatures and pressures associated with operation of the vapor compression system. Some vapor compression systems include a condenser having inlet baffles for distributing refrigerant gas over the top of a tube bundle disposed in a lower portion of a shell of the condenser. The condenser enables fluid flowing through the tubes of the tube bundle to exchange thermal energy with the descending refrigerant gas and condense the descending refrigerant gas into a refrigerant liquid. Unfortunately, the condenser of some vapor compression systems may restrict the flow of refrigerant gas during distribution, thereby causing a pressure drop that reduces the operating efficiency of the condenser.

Disclosure of Invention

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC & R) system includes a condenser configured to condense a low pressure refrigerant gas into a low pressure refrigerant liquid. The condenser includes a shell defining an interior space including an interior height and an interior length, and a refrigerant inlet configured to enable the low pressure refrigerant gas to enter the shell. The refrigerant inlet includes an inlet line traversing from an exterior of the housing to the interior space. The inlet line includes an inlet line inner diameter. Additionally, the refrigerant inlet includes a flare that tapers outwardly from the inlet line and into the interior space of the shell. The condenser also includes a refrigerant inlet baffle configured to distribute the low pressure refrigerant gas along a portion of an interior length of the shell. The upper surface of the refrigerant inlet baffle is vertically spaced from the bottom edge of the bell mouth by an upper layout height. Additionally, a bottom surface of the refrigerant inlet baffle is vertically spaced from a bottom interior surface of the housing by a lower layout height. The upper layout height is greater than 0.25 of the inner diameter of the inlet pipeline.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of designing a condenser for a heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC & R) system comprises: determining, via a processor of a computing device, an inner diameter of an inlet line of a refrigerant inlet of the condenser such that a target flow rate of low pressure refrigerant gas is configured to travel through the refrigerant inlet and into the condenser. Additionally, the method includes multiplying, via the processor, an inner diameter of the inlet line by a design parameter. The design parameter is a value between 0.25 and 0.50. Further, the method includes determining, via the processor, an upper layout height defined between a bottom edge of the refrigerant inlet and an upper edge of an inlet baffle for the condenser based on a multiplication operation.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, a heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC & R) system includes a condenser configured to condense a low pressure refrigerant gas into a low pressure refrigerant liquid, wherein the condenser includes a housing defining an interior space including an interior height and an interior length, and a refrigerant inlet configured to direct the low pressure refrigerant gas into the housing. The refrigerant inlet comprises an inlet tube extending from an exterior of the shell to the interior space, wherein the inlet tube comprises an inlet tube inner diameter; and a diffuser coupled to the inlet duct and tapering outwardly from the inlet duct and into the interior space of the housing. The condenser further includes a refrigerant inlet baffle configured to distribute the low pressure refrigerant gas along a portion of an interior length of the shell, wherein an upper surface of the refrigerant inlet baffle is vertically spaced from a bottom edge of the diffuser by an upper layout height, and wherein the upper layout height is greater than 0.25 of the inlet tube inner diameter.

Other features and advantages of the present application will become apparent from the following more detailed description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the application.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a building that may utilize a heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC & R) system in a commercial environment in accordance with the present technique;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a vapor compression system in accordance with the present technique;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a vapor compression system in accordance with the present technique;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a vapor compression system in accordance with the present technique;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of an embodiment of a condenser of a vapor compression system having an inlet baffle placement arrangement for reducing or minimizing pressure drop within the condenser, in accordance with the present techniques;

FIG. 6 is a partial axial cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a condenser with baffle placement in accordance with the present technique; and

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) screen overlay for a modeled condenser portion of a vapor compression system, in accordance with the present techniques.

Detailed Description

The present disclosure relates to heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC & R) systems, and systems and methods for condenser construction and inlet baffle placement in HVAC & R systems. Generally, HVAC & R systems include a closed refrigeration circuit having a condenser configured to condense or cool a refrigerant therein to enable the HVAC & R system to condition an interior space. By employing a condenser with optimized refrigerant inlet baffle placement, the HVAC & R system can employ low pressure refrigerant without an accompanying pressure drop to enhance condenser performance as compared to conventional condensers. For example, as discussed in more detail below, embodiments of the condenser of the present disclosure include a refrigerant inlet having an inlet line and a flare tapering outwardly from the inlet line and into an interior space of a shell of the condenser. Thus, during operation, low pressure refrigerant gas enters the refrigerant inlet of the condenser and contacts the refrigerant inlet baffle, which distributes the low pressure refrigerant gas onto the tube bundle arranged below the refrigerant inlet baffle.

The present disclosure recognizes an important balance between the pressure drop of the low pressure refrigerant and the tube layout space for the tube bundle below the refrigerant inlet baffle. For example, when a larger vertical space (e.g., an upper layout height) is provided between the refrigerant inlet (e.g., and more specifically the refrigerant inlet flare) and the refrigerant inlet baffle, the pressure drop within the condenser is reduced or minimized. Alternatively, by reducing the vertical space between the refrigerant inlet and the refrigerant inlet baffle, a greater amount of tube lay-out space is available to install a larger tube bundle below (e.g., lower lay-out height) the refrigerant inlet baffle, thus increasing the ability of the condenser to exchange heat across the tube bundle. Thus, an optimized refrigerant inlet baffle placement that balances pressure drop and tube layout space is achieved in the present embodiment when the vertical space between the refrigerant inlet and the refrigerant inlet baffle is between about 0.25 and 0.50 of the inner diameter of the inlet tube run, as discussed in more detail below.

Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an environment for a heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC & R) system 10 in a building 12 for a typical commercial environment. HVAC & R system 10 may include a vapor compression system 14 that supplies a cooling liquid that may be used to cool building 12. The HVAC & R system 10 may also include a boiler 16 for supplying warm liquid to heat the building 12, and an air distribution system that circulates air through the building 12. The air distribution system may also include an air return duct 18, an air supply duct 20, and/or an air handler 22. In some embodiments, the air handler 22 may include a heat exchanger connected to the boiler 16 and the vapor compression system 14 by a conduit 24. The heat exchanger in the air handler 22 may receive heated liquid from the boiler 16 or cooled liquid from the vapor compression system 14, depending on the mode of operation of the HVAC & R system 10. The HVAC & R system 10 is shown with a separate air handler on each floor of the building 12, but in other embodiments the HVAC & R system 10 may include air handlers 22 and/or other components that may be shared between floors.

Fig. 2 and 3 are embodiments of a vapor compression system 14 that may be used in the HVAC & R system 10. The vapor compression system 14 may circulate refrigerant through a circuit beginning with a compressor 32. The circuit may also include a condenser 34, expansion valve(s) or expansion device(s) 36, and a liquid cooler or evaporator 38. Vapor compression system 14 can further include a control panel 40 having an analog-to-digital (a/D) converter 42, a microprocessor 44, a non-volatile memory 46, and/or an interface board 48.

Some examples of fluids that may be used as refrigerants in the vapor compression system 14 are Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) based refrigerants (e.g., R-410A, R-407, R-134a, Hydrofluoroolefins (HFO)), "natural" refrigerants (such as ammonia (NH3), R-717, carbon dioxide (CO2), R-744, or hydrocarbon based refrigerants, water vapor), or any other suitable refrigerant. In some embodiments, the vapor compression system 14 may be configured to efficiently utilize refrigerant having a normal boiling point of about 19 degrees celsius (66 degrees fahrenheit) at one atmosphere (relative to medium pressure refrigerant such as R-134a, also referred to as low pressure refrigerant). As used herein, "normal boiling point" may refer to the boiling point temperature measured at one atmosphere of pressure.

In some embodiments, vapor compression system 14 may use one or more of a Variable Speed Drive (VSD)52, a motor 50, a compressor 32, a condenser 34, an expansion valve or device 36, and/or an evaporator 38. The motor 50 can drive the compressor 32 and can be powered by a Variable Speed Drive (VSD) 52. VSD 52 receives AC power having a particular fixed line voltage and fixed line frequency from an Alternating Current (AC) power source and provides power having a variable voltage and frequency to motor 50. In other embodiments, the motor 50 may be powered directly by an AC power source or a Direct Current (DC) power source. The motor 50 may include any type of motor that may be powered by a VSD or directly from an AC or DC power source, such as a switched reluctance motor, an induction motor, an electronically commutated permanent magnet motor, or another suitable motor.

The compressor 32 compresses a refrigerant vapor and delivers the vapor to the condenser 34 through a discharge passage. In some embodiments, the compressor 32 may be a centrifugal compressor. The refrigerant vapor delivered by the compressor 32 to the condenser 34 may transfer heat to a cooling fluid (e.g., water or air) in the condenser 34. The refrigerant vapor may condense to a refrigerant liquid in the condenser 34 as a result of heat transfer with the cooling fluid. Liquid refrigerant from the condenser 34 may flow through an expansion device 36 to an evaporator 38. In the illustrated embodiment of fig. 3, the condenser 34 is water-cooled and includes a tube bundle 54 connected to a cooling tower 56 that supplies a cooling fluid to the condenser 34.

The liquid refrigerant delivered to the evaporator 38 may absorb heat from another cooling fluid, which may or may not be the same cooling fluid used in the condenser 34. The liquid refrigerant in the evaporator 38 may undergo a phase change from liquid refrigerant to refrigerant vapor. As shown in the illustrated embodiment of fig. 3, the evaporator 38 may include a tube bundle 58 having a supply line 60S and a return line 60R connected to a cooling load 62. A cooling fluid (e.g., water, ethylene glycol, calcium chloride brine, sodium chloride brine, or any other suitable fluid) of the evaporator 38 enters the evaporator 38 via a return line 60R and exits the evaporator 38 via a supply line 60S. Evaporator 38 may reduce the temperature of the cooling fluid in tube bundle 58 via heat transfer with a refrigerant. The tube bundle 58 in the evaporator 38 can include a plurality of tubes and/or a plurality of tube bundles. In any event, vapor refrigerant flows from the evaporator 38 and returns to the compressor 32 through a suction line to complete the cycle.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of the vapor compression system 14 with an intermediate circuit 64 coupled between the condenser 34 and the expansion device 36. The intermediate circuit 64 may have an inlet line 68 fluidly connected directly to the condenser 34. In other embodiments, the inlet line 68 may be indirectly fluidly connected to the condenser 34. As shown in the illustrated embodiment of fig. 4, the inlet line 68 includes a first expansion device 66 positioned upstream of an intermediate vessel 70. In some embodiments, the intermediate vessel 70 may be a flash tank (e.g., a flash intercooler). In other embodiments, the intermediate vessel 70 may be configured as a heat exchanger or "surface economizer". In the illustrated embodiment of fig. 4, the intermediate vessel 70 functions as a flash tank, and the first expansion device 66 is configured to reduce the pressure (e.g., expand) of the liquid refrigerant received from the condenser 34. During the expansion process, a portion of the liquid may vaporize, and thus, the intermediate container 70 may be used to separate the vapor from the liquid received from the first expansion device 66. In addition, the intermediate container 70 may further expand the liquid refrigerant as the liquid refrigerant experiences a pressure drop upon entering the intermediate container 70 (e.g., due to a rapid increase in volume upon entering the intermediate container 70). Vapor in the intermediate vessel 70 may be drawn by the compressor 32 through a suction line 74 of the compressor 32. In other embodiments, the vapor in the intermediate vessel may be drawn to an intermediate stage (e.g., not a suction stage) of the compressor 32. The liquid collected in the intermediate container 70 may have a lower enthalpy than the liquid refrigerant exiting the condenser 34 due to expansion in the expansion device 66 and/or the intermediate container 70. Liquid from the intermediate vessel 70 may then flow into line 72 through the second expansion device 36 to the evaporator 38.

With the above understanding of the HVAC & R system 10, fig. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of the condenser 34 with a baffle placement 100 (e.g., optimized refrigerant inlet baffle placement) for the inlet baffle 102 to optimize operation of the condenser 34. In some embodiments, the inlet baffle 102 may be a diffuser. In some embodiments, the inlet baffle 102 may be formed of cast iron. Further, the inlet baffle 102 may be formed using, for example, a pattern of castings. As shown, the condenser 34 includes a shell 104 (e.g., a cylindrical shell) having a tube bundle 106 disposed therein. The tube bundle 106 includes a plurality of tubes 108 (e.g., heat exchange tubes) through which a cooling fluid can flow. For example, to direct tube-side flow, a first water box 110 is secured to a first tube sheet 112 at a first end 114 of the shell 104, and a second water box 116 is secured to a second tube sheet 118 at a second end 120 of the shell 104. Thus, the condenser 34 supplies a cooling fluid 130 (e.g., cold water) through an inlet 132 of a lower chamber 134 of the first water box 110. The cooling fluid 130 is then directed through the lower portion of the tubes 108 to pass through the shell 104 for a first time. In addition, the cooling fluid 130 is directed into the upper portion of the tubes 108 through the second water box 116 to pass through the housing 104 a second time, and is directed out of the housing 104 (e.g., as warm water) through the outlet 138 of the second chamber 140 of the first water box 110. Although the embodiment illustrated in fig. 5 shows the condenser 34 having two passages for the cooling fluid 130, it should be appreciated that in other embodiments, the condenser 34 may be configured to direct the cooling fluid 130 using any suitable number of passages (e.g., one, two, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, or more passages).

Further, to enable low pressure refrigerant gas 150 to flow on the shell side into the condenser 34, the shell 104 includes a refrigerant inlet 152. In some embodiments, the refrigerant inlet 152 is centrally located with respect to the opposite ends 114 and 120 of the shell 104. However, in other embodiments, the refrigerant inlet 152 may be non-centrally located with respect to the opposite ends 114 and 120 of the shell 104, similar to the illustrated refrigerant outlet 154. As illustrated, the refrigerant inlet 152 includes an inlet line 160 fluidly coupled to or integrally formed with a bell mouth 162. In some embodiments, the flare 162 may be a diffuser. For example, the flare 162 may be a separate component from the inlet line 160 positioned within the housing 104, and the inlet line 160 and flare 162 may then be coupled to one another. In addition, the inlet baffle 102 is disposed below the bell mouth 162 of the refrigerant inlet 152 and above the tube bundle 106. Thus, during operation, low pressure refrigerant gas 150 travels into the shell 104 via the inlet tube 160, is directed along the inlet baffle 102 through the bell mouth 162, and travels across the inlet baffle 102 to be distributed across the tube bundle 106. Thus, the tubes 108 of the tube bundle 106 enable transfer of thermal energy to the low pressure refrigerant gas 150 to condense the low pressure refrigerant gas 150 into a low pressure refrigerant liquid 164 that trickles down through the tube bundle 106 and out the refrigerant outlet 154 on its way to the expansion device 36.

The baffle placement 100 discussed herein is employed to vertically position the inlet baffle 102 within the shell 104 of the condenser to reduce the pressure drop within the condenser 34 while providing sufficient or desired space for the tube bundle 106. For example, an upper layout height 166 is defined between an upper surface 168 of the inlet baffle 102 and a bottom edge 170 of the bell mouth 162. Additionally, a lower layout height 172 is defined between a bottom surface 174 of inlet baffle 102 and a bottom interior surface 176 of housing 104. Accordingly, an interior space 180 (e.g., including an interior height 182 and an interior length 184) within the housing 104 is at least partially vertically bisected by the inlet baffle 102.

The condenser 34 utilizes the upper layout height 166 to distribute the low pressure refrigerant gas 150 along at least a portion of the interior length 184 of the shell. Thus, increasing the upper layout height 166 (e.g., by placing the inlet baffle 102 lower within the shell 104) reduces the pressure drop of the condenser 34 (e.g., by increasing pressure recovery). Alternatively, decreasing the upper layout height 166 increases the pressure drop within the condenser 34 (e.g., by decreasing pressure recovery). Further, the condenser 34 uses the lower layout height 172 as a space (e.g., tube layout space) in which the tube bundle 106 is to be arranged. In embodiments with a larger lower layout height 172, a greater number and/or size of tubes 108 may be included in the tube bundle 106, thus increasing the amount of thermal energy that may be transferred through the condenser 34. Additionally, in embodiments having a smaller lower layout height 172, a smaller number and/or smaller size of tubes 108 may be included in the tube bundle 106, thus reducing the heat exchange efficiency of the condenser. Additionally, in certain embodiments, the pitch between the tubes 108 may be adjusted when constructing the condenser 34 such that a smaller pitch is used between adjacent tubes 108 when constructing a condenser 34 having a reduced lower layout height 172, thus restricting the flow of the low pressure refrigerant gas 150 and/or the low pressure refrigerant liquid 164 between the tubes 108 in the shell 104. Thus, the baffle placement 100 is optimally determined (e.g., via Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)) to balance pressure drop and tube layout space within the condenser 34. A further understanding of the refrigerant inlet 152 and inlet baffle 102 is provided below with reference to fig. 6.

In fact, fig. 6 is a detailed axial cross-sectional view of the condenser 34. As shown, the inlet line 160 of the refrigerant inlet 152 traverses the shell 104 of the condenser 34 (e.g., via opening 190). In some embodiments, inlet conduit 160 may be coupled to opening 190 via welding, and more particularly without the use of a flange. The inlet line includes an inner diameter 188 to enable the low pressure refrigerant gas 150 to flow therein. In addition, flare 162 includes a diverging radius 192 that flares radially outward from inlet tube 160, thus providing a smooth transition for low pressure refrigerant gas 150 into condenser 34, which enables pressure recovery (e.g., via reduced turbulence). A bottom edge 170 of the bell mouth 162 is vertically spaced from an upper surface 168 of the inlet baffle 102 by the upper layout height 166. In addition, the inlet baffle 102 includes an upturned portion 196 that extends upward from a flat portion 198 of the inlet baffle 102 and contacts an inner surface 202 of the housing 104. Thus, the inlet baffle 102 defines a baffle space 204 that is at least partially fluidly isolated from the tube bundle 106 (e.g., along at least a portion of the length of the shell 104).

Further, in some embodiments, the inlet duct 160 may be coupled directly to the inlet baffle 102 or diffuser, for example, via welding. For example, as shown, the upturned portion 196 may extend only partially toward the inner surface 202 of the shell 104, and may further include vertical portions 197 that directly couple the inlet baffle 102 to the inlet duct 160 at the flare 162. In other words, the inlet conduit 160 may be coupled to the inlet baffle 102 inside the shell 104 and within the pressure boundary of the shell 104. Further, it should be noted that in some embodiments, the vertical portion 197 may be angled a certain amount from the vertical position. In some embodiments, the inlet duct 160 may be directly coupled to a diffuser other than the inlet baffle 102 via welding.

As discussed above, baffle placement 100 of inlet baffle 102 is included within condenser 34 to optimize the balance between pressure drop and tube layout space. Indeed, in certain embodiments, the optimized upper layout height 166 is defined relative to the inner diameter 188 of the inlet tube 160 of the refrigerant inlet 152. For example, the upper layout height 166 may be selected to be equal to a design parameter (e.g., ratio, value) multiplied by the inner diameter 188 of the inlet conduit 160. For example, the upper layout height 166 may be 0.200, 0.225, 0.250, 0.275, 0.300, 0.325, 0.350, 0.375, 0.400, 0.425, 0.450, 0.475, 0.500, or more of the inner diameter 188 of the inlet duct 160. Additionally, the upper layout height 166 may be selected between any suitable range of ratios relative to the inner diameter 188 of the inlet tubing 160, such as between 0.250 and 0.500, 0.200 and 0.400, 0.300 and 0.500, 0.200 and 0.300, 0.200 and 0.250, 0.250 and 0.300, etc. of the inner diameter 188 of the inlet tubing 160.

Additionally, although described herein with reference to adjusting the space defined between the bell mouth 162 and the inlet baffle 102, it should be understood that the present disclosure contemplates modifications in addition to or in lieu of adjusting the vertical position of the inlet baffle 102 (e.g., adjusting the vertical position of the bell mouth 162 relative to the housing 104). Further, the diverging radius 192 of the bell mouth 162 may be adjusted to enhance pressure recovery and/or refrigerant flow within the condenser 34, particularly in embodiments of the inlet line 160 having a relatively small inner diameter 188 (e.g., about 10 inches or less, where such modifications may have significant effect). Further, it should be understood that in certain embodiments, the present disclosure contemplates adjusting the inlet line length 189 to enhance pressure recovery and/or refrigerant flow within the condenser 34. Generally, the inlet line length 189 may be reduced to enhance pressure recovery and/or refrigerant flow within the condenser.

To determine the design rules for the baffle placement 100, a service technician or system designer may model the condenser 34 with the baffle placement 100 via CFD software (e.g., Ansys Fluent, etc.) on a computing device. Thus, a service technician or system designer (e.g., a user) can model the pressure drop and tube layout space for a plurality of different baffle placements 100. For example, fig. 7 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a CFD screen overlay 300 of a modeled condenser section 302. As shown, the modeled condenser section 302 includes one quadrant of a condenser, such as the condenser 34 discussed above. The modeled condenser section 302 thus includes two planes of symmetry 304 across which the modeled condenser section 302 can be reflected to visually represent all four quadrants of the modeled condenser. In general, the CFD screen overlay 300 may be included on an electronic display of any suitable computing device (e.g., laptop, desktop, tablet) having a processor and memory therein, such as the computing device 310 shown.

The modeled condenser section 302 also includes a modeled refrigerant inlet 320 having a modeled inlet line 322 and a modeled flare 324. A variable upper layout height 328 is defined between the modeled flare 324 and the modeled inlet baffle 330. Additionally, a variable lower layout height 332 is defined between the modeled inlet baffle 330 and the modeled bottom interior surface 334 of the shell 336 of the modeled condenser section 302. As discussed above, a larger variable upper layout height corresponds to a larger pressure recovery, while a larger variable lower layout height corresponds to a larger space for arranging a larger number or more of heat exchange tubes therein. Here, using CFD software, a user can model pressure drop through a modeled condenser with modeled condenser section 302 for a number of different embodiments of variable upper and

lower layout heights

328, 332.

Indeed, to achieve pressure recovery for both a 300 ton cooler (e.g., having 300 refrigeration tons) and a 1500 ton cooler (e.g., having 1500 refrigeration tons), the variable upper layout height 328 is at least 0.25 of the inner diameter of the modeled inlet piping 322. Additional exemplary embodiments of the variable upper layout height 328 with minimal pressure drop via optimized baffle placement 100 are shown below in table 1, where the variable upper layout height 328 is approximately 0.3 (e.g., within 0.05%, 1%, 5%) of the modeled inner diameter of the inlet conduit 322.

TABLE 1 variable Upper tube layout height and modeled Inlet piping internal diameter

Further, referring back to fig. 5, in some embodiments, a service technician or system designer may place inlet piping 160 within condenser 34 using fixture 340 when simulating and determining variable upper layout height 328 and variable lower layout height 332. For example, the fixture 340 may be a ring, clip, clamp, guide, block, bracket, or other structure that may be coupled to the inlet conduit 160 and/or positioned adjacent or near thereto. Fixture 340 may be configured to support inlet conduit 160 in a fixed position while simulating and determining variable upper layout height 328 and variable lower layout height 332.

The securing device 340 may also be used to hold the inlet duct 160 in a desired position during assembly of the condenser 34 (e.g., during securing of the inlet duct 160 to the housing 104, the bell mouth 162, and/or another component of the HVAC & R system 10). For example, the fixture 340 may couple (e.g., weld) the inlet duct 160 to an inlet boss of the HVAC & R system 10 without additional flange connections. In some embodiments, the fixture 340 or another fixture 340 may be used to position the bell mouth 162 (which may be a diffuser) within the housing 104 during assembly of the condenser 34. The fixture 340 may hold the bell mouth 162 in place while the bell mouth 162 or diffuser is secured to the housing 104, the inlet duct 160, or both.

Accordingly, the present technology relates to a baffle placement design for a condenser to optimally balance pressure drop with tube layout space. Baffle placement design includes disposing inlet baffles between the refrigerant inlet and the tube bundle. The refrigerant inlet includes an inlet tube that flares out to a flare that deposits low pressure refrigerant gas onto the inlet baffle. In addition, the inlet baffle distributes the low pressure refrigerant gas along the length of the shell of the condenser, thus enabling the low pressure refrigerant gas to transfer heat to the cooling fluid flowing within and condensing on the tubes of the tube bundle. By arranging the inlet baffle such that the upper layout height between the flare and the inlet baffle is approximately equal to 0.3 (e.g., within 5% of 0.3) of the inner diameter of the inlet tube, the present disclosure provides sufficient space for the heat exchange tubes while reducing or minimizing the pressure drop within the condenser.

While only certain features and embodiments of the disclosure have been illustrated and described, many modifications and changes may occur to those skilled in the art (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters (e.g., temperatures, pressures, etc.), mounting arrangements, use of materials, orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter recited in the claims. The order or sequence of any process or method steps may be varied or re-sequenced according to alternative embodiments. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are not intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the disclosure. Moreover, in an effort to provide a concise description of the embodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not have been described (i.e., those unrelated to the presently contemplated best mode of carrying out the disclosure, or those unrelated to enabling the claimed features). It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions may be made. Such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure, without undue experimentation.

Claims

1. A heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC & R) system comprising:

a condenser configured to condense a low pressure refrigerant gas to a low pressure refrigerant liquid, wherein the condenser comprises:

a housing defining an interior space including an interior height and an interior length;

a refrigerant inlet configured to enable the low pressure refrigerant gas to enter the housing, wherein the refrigerant inlet comprises:

an inlet conduit traversing from an exterior of the housing to the interior space, wherein the inlet conduit comprises an inlet conduit inner diameter; and

a flare tapering outwardly from the inlet line and into the interior space of the housing; and

a refrigerant inlet baffle configured to distribute the low pressure refrigerant gas along a portion of an interior length of the housing, wherein an upper surface of the refrigerant inlet baffle is vertically spaced from a bottom edge of the bell mouth by an upper layout height, and wherein a bottom surface of the refrigerant inlet baffle is vertically spaced from a bottom interior surface of the housing by a lower layout height, wherein the upper layout height is greater than 0.25 of the inlet tube inner diameter.

2. The HVAC & R system of claim 1, wherein the condenser comprises a plurality of heat exchange tubes disposed within a lower footprint height of the housing and configured to transfer heat from the low pressure refrigerant gas to a fluid flowing within the plurality of heat exchange tubes to condense the low pressure refrigerant gas into the low pressure refrigerant liquid.

3. The HVAC & R system of claim 1, wherein the flare comprises a diverging radius that increases in radius from the inlet pipe inner diameter.

4. The HVAC & R system of claim 1, wherein the upper layout height is greater than 0.30 of the inlet pipe inner diameter.

5. The HVAC & R system of claim 1, wherein the upper layout height is between 0.25 and 0.50 of the inlet pipe inner diameter.

6. The HVAC & R system of claim 1, wherein the HVAC & R system comprises a 300 ton chiller with the condenser or a 1500 ton chiller with the condenser.

7. The HVAC & R system of claim 1, wherein the refrigerant inlet baffle is disposed within the condenser to optimize a balance between a pressure drop associated with the upper layout height and a tube layout space for a plurality of heat exchange tubes associated with the lower layout height.

8. A method of designing a condenser for a heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC & R) system, the method comprising:

determining, via a processor of a computing device, an inner diameter of an inlet line of a refrigerant inlet of the condenser such that a target flow rate of low pressure refrigerant gas is configured to travel through the refrigerant inlet and into the condenser;

multiplying, via the processor, an inner diameter of the inlet line by a design parameter, wherein the design parameter is a value between 0.25 and 0.50;

determining, via the processor, an upper layout height defined between a bottom edge of the refrigerant inlet and an upper edge of an inlet baffle for the condenser based on a multiplication operation.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the refrigerant inlet comprises a bell mouth extending from the inlet line such that a bottom edge of the refrigerant inlet comprises a bottom edge of the bell mouth.

10. The method of claim 8, comprising: modeling, via the processor, the condenser having the inlet baffle spaced apart from a bottom edge of the refrigerant inlet by the upper layout height.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the design parameter comprises a value between 0.25 and 0.40.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the design parameter comprises a value between 0.30 and 0.50.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the design parameter has a value of 0.30.

14. The method of claim 8, comprising: modeling, via the processor, a pressure drop within the condenser, and minimizing, via the processor, the pressure drop within the condenser by adjusting the upper layout height.

15. A heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC & R) system comprising:

a refrigerant inlet configured to direct the low pressure refrigerant gas into the housing, wherein the refrigerant inlet comprises:

an inlet conduit extending from an exterior of the housing to the interior space, wherein the inlet conduit comprises an inlet conduit inner diameter; and

a diffuser coupled to the inlet duct and tapering outwardly therefrom and into the interior space of the housing; and

a refrigerant inlet baffle configured to distribute the low pressure refrigerant gas along a portion of an interior length of the housing, wherein an upper surface of the refrigerant inlet baffle is vertically spaced from a bottom edge of the diffuser by an upper layout height, and wherein the upper layout height is greater than 0.25 of the inlet tube inner diameter.

16. The HVAC & R system of claim 15, wherein the diffuser includes a bell mouth integrally formed with the inlet duct.

17. The HVAC & R system of claim 15, wherein the diffuser is secured to an interior surface of the housing.

18. The HVAC & R system of claim 15, comprising a securing device configured to support the diffuser within the interior space of the housing during securing of the diffuser to the inlet duct or the interior surface of the housing.

19. The HVAC & R system of claim 15, comprising a securing device configured to support the inlet duct extending from an exterior of the housing to the interior space during securing of the inlet duct to the housing.

20. The HVAC & R system of claim 15, wherein the upper layout height is greater than or equal to 0.30 of the inlet pipe inner diameter.